Big Fella
By Peter Thompson

Big Fella

By (author) Peter Thompson

Robert Macklin

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BHP is part of Australia's DNA; but it remains an enigma. The Big Fella is the compelling story of how BHP and its partner Billiton rose from the humblest beginnings in the Australian Outback and on the Indonesian island of Belitung to starry heights on the great bourses of the world. Based on more than 60 exclusive interviews, it rips away the superficial gloss to expose the political and industrial forces that really drive Big Business in the 21st century. In an investigative tour de force, the authors reveal the visions, the schemes, the scandals and the corporate life-and-death struggles that have characterised BHP's evolution from the first lucky strike by the mysterious Charles Rasp at Broken Hill in 1883 to its merger with Billiton in 2001 to its daring $150 billion bid for Rio Tinto six years later. The result is a gripping story of foresight and blunder, of nation-building and rampant ego, of greed and of grace.

ISBN: 9781741667103
Classification: Ownership & organization of enterprises , Mining industry , Industrialisation & industrial history
Format: Hardback (239mm x 161mm x 41mm)
Pages: 448
Publish Date: 3-Aug-2009
Country of Publication: Australia

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5 star rating by Boomert - The Big Fella by Peter Thompson and Robert Macklin 12 Jan 2010
Some of the dramatis personae of this exciting, complex and justifiably lengthy account of the BHP Billiton Group are not always able to conceive of a world without their presence and influence. This may not be surprising if, for example, your annual base salary is US$1.9 million plus. This book will have broad appeal, whether one is interested in the local personalities (Robert Holmes à Court, John Elliot, Paul Keating); the episodes of international corporate takeover drama (BHP acquiring Utah Mining, BHP being raided by Holmes à Court or the BHP/Billiton merger); or simply, the larger than life story of the BHP mining men (acquiring and developing Bass Strait oil). ‘Never dull’ becomes an understatement. Although big money galvanises big egos, it is apparent from reading this well-written book, that a good number of the participants in this saga are men of vision and considerable intellectual gifts. This makes their failings and short-sightedness even more inexplicable. The Big Fella is a giant MBA case study, a potential script for a thrilling movie and a terrific story of the exercise of global power. It is, however, never without the high drama that seems to characterise international business.

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine (March 2009, Vol 88, No 6.) is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2009, Thorpe-Bowker.

Author Biography: Peter Thompson
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